Contract Types

Contract types are generally grouped into two broad categories: fixed price contracts and
cost reimbursement contracts.
1. Fixed Price Contracts:
a. A price that is not subject to any adjustments.
b. Places upon the contractor maximum risk and full responsibility for all
costs and resulting profit.
c. It provides maximum incentive for the contractor to control costs and
perform effectively.
d. Firm Fixed Price contracts are the preferred method of contracting from
the governments perspective. Used when sealed bid is involved. Used for
acquiring supplies and services and/or for acquiring commercial items.
2. Variations of fixed price contracts:
a. Economic price adjustment: revision of prices for specific contingencies.
i. Adjustments based upon increases or decreases from an agreed
upon level in either published or established market prices for
specific items.
ii. Adjustments based upon actual increases or decreases in the price
of specific items of cost or specific labor that the contractor incurs.
iii. Adjustments based upon increases or decreases in the specific
labor or material cost standards or indexes, such as Bureau of
Labor Standards indices.
b. Incentive Contracts: An FPI contract specifies a target cost, a target profit,
a price ceiling and a profit adjustment formula. The FPI contract provides
a profit motive for the contractor to perform efficiently from a cost
perspective. If the contractor completes the contract while incurring less
cost that originally anticipated, the contractor will receive more profit.
i. Used when a fixed-firm contract is not appropriate
ii. Supplies/services can be acquired at lowers costs, with improved
delivery or improved technical performance.
3. Cost Reimbursement Contracts
a. Provides for payment of allowable incurred costs, to the extent prescribed
in the contract. Establishes an estimate of total costs for the purpose of
obligating funds and establishes a ceiling that the contractor may not
exceed, except as his own risk.
b. Cost reimbursement contracts place the least cost and performance risk on
the contractor.
c. Cost-reimbursement contracts are suitable for use only when uncertainties
involved in contract performance do not permit costs to be estimated with
sufficient accuracy to use and type of fixed price contract.
d. Used for research and development contracts. Prohibited for the
acquisition of commercial items.

An Example of a Cost Contract: Cost Plus Fixed Fee.

CPFF=Cost plus fixed fee. A detailed breakdown of estimated costs, both direct and
indirect is provided, and the customer will allow certain specific dollar amount for profit
and fee. You will be allowed to invoice for actual costs incurred, or for actual costs paid
for and due for reimbursement (depending on the contract terms), and each invoice may
include a proportion of the fixed fee. But you will not be allowed to bill for costs that
exceed the agreed upon estimate without the advance approval which is not always
granted.
Other Variations of cost reimbursement contracts:
Cost plus incentive fee
Cost plus award fee
And others
4. Time and Material Contracts
a. Direct labor hours at specified hourly rates
b. Materials at cost
c. Used only when not possible to estimate accurately the extent or duration
of the work or to anticipate costs with any reasonable degree of
confidence. Used of supplies and materials.
5. Letter Contracts
a. Written preliminary contractual instruments that authorize the contractor
to begin immediately manufacturing supplies or performing services.
b. A letter contract may be used when (1) the governments interests demand
that the contractor be given a binding commitment so that work can start
immediately and (2) negotiating a definitive contract is not possible in
sufficient time to meet the requirement.
6. Indefinite Delivery Contracts: There are three types of indefinite delivery
contracts: definite quantity contracts, requirements contracts, and indefinite
quantity contracts.
a. Definite quantity contracts
i. Provides for the delivery of a definite quantity of specific supplies
and service for a fixed period. Deliveries or performance to be
scheduled at designated locations upon order. A definite quantity
contract may be used when it can be determined in advance that:
1. A definite quantity of supplies or services will be required
during the contract period; and
2. The supplies or services are regularly available or will be
available after a short lead-time.
b. Requirements Contract:
i. A requirements contract provides for filling all actual purchase
requirements of designated Government activities for supplies or
services during a specified contract period, with deliveries or

performance to be scheduled by placing orders with the contractor.

A requirements contract may be appropriate for acquiring any
supplies or services when the Government anticipates recurring
requirements but cannot predetermine the precise quantities of
supplies or services that designated Government activities will
need during a definite period.
c. Indefinite Quantity
i. An indefinite quantity contract provides for an indefinite quantity,
within stated limits, of supplies or services during a fixed period.
The Government places orders for individual requirements.
Quantity limits may be stated as number of units or as dollar
values. Contracting officers may used indefinite-quantity contracts
when the government cannot predetermine, above a specified
minimum, the precise quantities of supplies or services that the
Government will require during the contract period, and it is
advisable for the Government to commit itself for more than the
minimum quantity. The contracting officer should use an
indefinite-quantity contract only when recurring need is
anticipated.
7. Agreements:
a. Basic Agreements
i. A written instrument of understanding, negotiated between an
agency or contracting activity and a contractor that (1) contains
contract clauses applying to future contracts between parties (2)
contemplates separate future contracts.
ii. Should be used when a substantial number of separate contracts
may be awarded during a particular time period and significant
recurring negotiating problems have been experienced.
b. Basic Ordering agreements
i. A written instrument of understanding, negotiated between an
agency, contracting activity and a contractor that contains (1) terms
and clauses applying to future contracts (orders) between parties
(2) a description, as specific as practical, of supplies or services
provided and (3) methods for pricing, issuing and delivering future
orders. This is not a contract.
ii. Used to expedite contracting for uncertain requirements for
supplies and services when specific items, quantities and prices are
not known at the time of agreement inception, but a substantial
number of requirements for the type of supplies or services are
anticipated to be purchased. Blanket purchase agreements are
under this category.
8. Purchase Orders:
a. Are issued on fixed-price basis for acquisition of commercial items.
b. Specific quantity of supplies and services

9. Government Commercial Purchase Card (Credit Card)

a. Used to make purchases for supplies and services
b. Used of micro purchases (less that $2500)
c. Does not require provisions or clauses